New York City to Host Fifth Race of the 2010 Red Bull Air Race World Championship Season
Inaugural Race Will Be Signature Stop for the Motorsport's Worldwide Portfolio of 2010 Host Cities
| Source: Red Bull Air Race
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - January 13, 2010) - The fifth race of the 2010 Red Bull Air Race
World Championship season will be held, in partnership with NYC & Company,
Jersey City, NJ and Liberty State Park, over the Hudson River June 19 and
20. In the Red Bull Air Race, fifteen of the world's best pilots race
individually against the clock for the fastest time through an aerial race
track made up of inflatable air gates. This year marks the sixth year of
the Red Bull Air Race World Championship which will also land in nine
cities including Abu Dhabi, UAE; Perth, Australia; and Lisbon, Portugal.
"New York City is known for its ability to draw some of the world's
greatest, large-scale events each year, and we're always happy to welcome
new and exciting sporting events that amplify its reputation as one of the
most electrifying cities in the world," said NYC & Company CEO George
Fertitta. "The Red Bull Air Race World Championship will -- without a
doubt -- bring a new element of adventure to this city, and add to the
incredible roster of events taking place here in 2010."
In 2009, the Red Bull Air Race was broadcast in over 180 countries reaching
over 300 million viewers. The two-day spectator experience, coupled with
the global television broadcast, will showcase New York as a premier
sporting destination. The race in New York and Jersey City also represents
an exciting opportunity to stimulate the local economy.
"Jersey City is fast becoming a premier destination to host major events,
such as the All Points West concerts and the 2009 Barclays golf
tournament," said Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy. "The Red Bull Air Race is a
high-caliber event that provides international exposure and will bring
millions of tourism dollars into our city. We are aggressively marketing
Jersey City as a global brand and we are thrilled to have the world's most
talented pilots compete above our Hudson River waterfront."
The Red Bull Air Race is different from all other motorsports in that it
takes its race track with it wherever it goes around the world bringing the
action to the spectator. To do this, it takes a logistics operation
unparalleled in the sports business to transport 380 tons of infrastructure
and race equipment including 15 light-weight, 24-foot wingspan race planes
and the sport's own traveling air traffic control tower.
"Staging a Red Bull Air Race in New York City and Jersey City marks an
important milestone in the history of the global motorsports championship
and we feel privileged to be given this opportunity," said Bernd Loidl, CEO
of the Red Bull Air Race. "We look forward to our partnership with both
cities and providing spectators with an incredible experience as well as
enabling millions of television viewers around the globe to watch the best
race pilots compete against the spectacular skyline of some of the world's
great cities."
Over the past five years, the Red Bull Air Race has held races in major
metropolitans such as London, Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, and in the U.S. in
San Diego, Detroit, San Francisco, and Monument Valley, Utah. Of the
fifteen race pilots from around the world, two are Americans, Kirby
Chambliss from Arizona and Michael Goulian from Massachusetts. Each pilot
operates a year-round race team including a technician and team
coordinator. The end goal for each race team is to accumulate as many
points throughout the season in a quest to achieve the prestigious honor of
2010 Red Bull Air Race World Champion.
For more information about the sport, please visit www.redbullairrace.com,
or to view each TV episode of the 2009 season, go to
www.hulu.com/redbullairrace. For high resolution photos, b-roll and text,
please visit www.redbullairracenewsroom.com.